Wheel.



No. 813,225 PATEN'TED FEB. 20, 1906. U. P. MELVIN. WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY13, 1905.

CHARLES P. MELVIN, OF MONONGAHELA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed May 13, 1905. $erial No. 260,234.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES P. MELVIN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Monongahela, in the county of Washington and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inIVheels, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in wheels,and more particularly to car-wheels adapted to be used in connectionwith mining-cars, pit-cars, and the like vehicles.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a wheel having a novelform ofhub adapted to contain a suitable lubricant for lubricating allparts of an axle or spindle upon which the wheel is journaled.

My invention aims to provide a novel form of hub for wheels, pulleys,gears, and the like revoluble members in which a suitable lubricant canbe easily and quickly placed and carried, whereby it will beautomatically fed to surfaces of the axle or shaft upon which the Wheelis journaled to assure an easy, perfect, and non-frictional rotation ofthe Wheel or pulley upon a shaft or axle. To this end I have devised anovel form of receptacle or lubricant-compartment for retaining a suitable'lubricant in close proximity to a mem her or element to belubricated. The lubricant receptacle or compartment is constructedwhereby it will retain a large quantity of lubricant, consequentlydispensing with the frequent and necessary refilling of similarreceptacles or compartments.

My improved hub is adapted to thoroughly lubricate the bearing-surfacesexisting be tween the hub of a wheel and the axle or shaft, and thesimplicity of construction em ployed in connection with my improvedwheel reduces the cost of manufacture to a minimum, at the same timemaintaining a strong and durable construction necessary in connectionwith wheels of this type.

The invention finally consists in the novel construction, combination,and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully describedand then specifically pointed out in the claims, and, referring to thedrawings accompanying this application, like numerals of referencedesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wheel. Fig. 2 is an edgeview of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of thehub portion of said Wheel. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview taken on the line as a of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentarytransverse sectional view taken on the line y y of Fig. 4, illustratingthepeculiar construction of the hub portion of my improved wheel.

To put my invention into practice, I construct my improved wheels of acasting wherein a hub portion 1, spokes 2, a rim or tread 3, and aperipheral flange 4 are embodied to provide a wheel particularly adaptedfor mining-cars. My invention resides in the novel construction of thehub portion 1, and this construction can best be seen in Fig. 3 of thedrawings. By referring to said figure it will be observed that the hubportion is provided with inwardly-extending shells 5 and 6, forming abearing for an axle and also forming an annular lubricant receptacle orcompartment 7. In the formation of my improved wheel I provide the sides8 and 9 of the hub portion with bosses or peripheral flanges 10 and 11,which are adapted to en circle or embrace the axle and steady themovement of the car-wheel upon said axle.

The inwardly-extending annular or cylindrical shells 5 and 6 have theirconfronting edges formed to provide a sinuous and irregular slot orpassage between said shells. The slot or passage-way 12 is preferablyconstructed centrally of the hub, and its sinuous or irregular formationis preferably formed of the angularly-disposed confronting edges 14 14of the shell 6 and 15 15 of the shell 5. I also provide the shells 5 and6, forming the bearing-surfaces of the hub, with a plurality oflongitudinally-disposed slots 16 and 17, the slots 16 and 17 beingformed in the shells 5 and 6, respectively. The inner ends of theseslots are enlarged or provided. with outwardly-tapering sides 18 18.These ends of the slots are adapted to terminate at the vertex of theangularlydisposed confronting edges 14 and 15 of the shells 5 and 6. Theopposite ends of the slots 16 and 17 terminate in the bosses orperipheral flanges 10 and 11 of the hub, and in the boss 1 1 I provide aplurality of apertures or openings 19, which communicate with the slots17 of the shell 5 and ermit of access being had to the interior of thehub or the lubricant receptacle or co mpartment 7.

In order to strengthen the hub portion of a wheel constructed inaccordance with my invention and to provide means for elevating andproperly distributing or baffling the lubricant contained within thecompartment 7,

I provide a plurality of radially-disposed ribs or partitions 20 and 21,the ribs 20 being constructed in the compartment 7 and in connectionwith the shell 5, while the ribs or partitions 21 are constructed inconnection with the shell 6. The peculiar staggered arrangement'of theribs or partitions 20 and 21 provides a staggered yet circuitous pathfor the lubricant contained within the compartment 7, and when a wheelconstructed in accordance with my invention revolves these ribs orpartitions are adapted to thoroughly distribute and elevate thelubricantcontained within the compartment.

In operation a lubricant contained within the compartment 7 isdistributed to the surfaces of an axle by the slots 16 and passageway12, and the peculiar formation or widening of the inner ends of theslots 16 permits of the lubricant being spread and distributed towardthe center of the axle. The staggered passage-way 12 enables thelubricant to effectually reach the bearing-surface existing between thehub portion of my improved Wheel and an axle, and the slots 16 and 17will distribute the lubricant longitudinally of the axle and permit ofthe entire surface of the bore being thoroughly lubricated.

In practice I have found that it is only necessary to partially fill thecompartment or receptacle 7that is, that portion of the compartment orreceptacle lying below the axle upon which the wheel is journaled, andby the rotation of said wheel the lubricant contained therein will beelevated and discharged or ejected upon the axle through the medium ofthe slots 16 and 17 and passageway 12. In employing the ribs orpartitions 20 and 21 I have also devised means for continuouslyagitating and circulating the lubricant contained Within the compartment7 when my improved Wheel is in operation, thus preventing the lubricantfrom freezing or coagulating.

While I have herein described the preferred manner of constructing myimproved hub, it is obvious that I do not. care to confine myself to theparticular arrangement of the slots or passage-ways nor to thedisposition or number of ribs or partitions used in connection with thelubricant receptacle or compartment, as the number of partitions and theconstruction of the shells'depends upon the size and proportions of awheel relative to the axle upon which it is journaled.

It will be also noted that my improved lubricating-hub may be readilyembodied in all types of wheels or pulleys adapted to revolve uponanother body, such as an axle or shaft, and various other slight changesand modifications in the details of construction may be made Withoutdeparting from the general s irit and scope of the invention.

What Tclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wheel of the type described consisting of a flanged rim, spokes andhub, said hub having inwardly-extending annular shells, there being anannular compartment formed by said shells, the confronting edges of saidshells providing a sinuous passage, said shells having slots formedtherein intercepting said passage, there being a plurality ofradiallydisposed ribs staggeredl y arranged Within said compartment,said hub having openings formed therein communicating with said slots,substantially as described.

2. In a wheel of the type described, the combination with a flanged rimand spokes, of a hub supported by said spokes, said hub having anannular compartment forme'd'therein, said compartment having a pluralityofradially-disposed ribs staggeredly arranged therein, said hub havingopenings formed therein communicating with said compartment,-said hubhaving a sinuous passage-way formed therein, substantially as described.

3. The combination-with an axle, of 'a wheel having a hub, saidhubhaving a central bore formed therein, said hub having a compartmentformed therein surrounding said bore, said compartment having aplurality of radially-disposed ribs formed therein extending each partway of the length of the compartment and alternately from opposite endsthereof means to convey the contents of said compartment tosaid bore,and means whereby access may be had to said compartment, substantiallyas described.

4. In a wheel of'the character described, the combination with ahub'having a central bore, of a compartment surrounding said bore, theinner wall of said compartment providing inwardly-extending shells, theconfronting edges of said shellproviding'asinuous passage -'way, saidshells having slots formed therein communicatingwith-said passage,substantiallyas described.

5. In a wheel, the combination with a hub having a central bore formedvtherein, of a compartment surrounding said bore; the innerwall of saidcom artment" providing confronting shells having slots formed thereinaffording communication between said compartment and the said bore,means whereby access may be had to said compartment, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a wheel, the combination with'a hub, of confronting shells carriedby said hub, and forming a central bore, anda compartment surroundingthe bore, said shells having a plurality of slots formed thereincommunicating with one another and extending through the shells, meanswhereby access may be had to said compartment.

7. In a wheel, the combination with a hub, of confronting shells carriedby said hub, said shells having a plurality of slots formed thereincommunicating with one another, said hub having an annular compartmentformed therein adapted to contain a lubricant and communicating with thebore of the hub through said slots, and means to elevate said lubricantwithin said compartment.

8. In a wheel, the combination with a hub having a central bore, of anannular compartment surrounding said bore, the sides of said bore havinga sinuous slot formed therein communicating with said compartment, meansto agitate the contents of said compartment.

9. In a wheel, the combination of a hub, said hub being formed ofconfronting shells providing a circuitous sinuous passage-way, the wallof said bore having slots formed therein communicating with saidpassageway, a compartment communicating with said slots and saidpassage-way, means whereby access may be had to said compartment fromthe exterior of said hub, substantially as described.

10. In a wheel, the combination of a hub having a central bore, therebeing a lubricantcompartment surrounding said bore, the walls of saidbore having a circuitous passage-way formed therein, adapted to conveythe contents of said compartment to said,

bore, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES P. MELVIN.

Witnesses:

FRANK S. SHANER, GEO. T. LINN.

